Download an Alaska app, save a Hawaiian reef

If you see a “Super Sucker” in Hawaii — the underwater vacuum that removes invasive algae from near-shore reefs, not the person who expects grass huts in Waikīkī — you may have Alaska Airlines and the state branch of the Nature Conservancy to thank.

For every Alaska Airlines mobile application downloaded this month, the airline is donating $1 to the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi to support its restoration of Kāneʻohe Bay on Oʻahu, with a guaranteed contribution of at least $30,000. Aided by the Hawaiʻi State Division of Aquatic Resources and University of Hawaiʻi scientists, a Super Sucker-wielding team (see picture below) is removing two kinds of invasive seaweed from reefs and then seeding them with native sea urchins that eat the intruders and keep them from growing back.

Kāneʻohe Bay was once home to the largest and most diverse populations of reef fish and coral diversity on Oʻahu, but has been under attack from the nonnative algae, whose dense mats ultimately kill coral by smothering it. The Nature Conservancy plans to have the bay’s northern end cleared by 2015.

“The Nature Conservancy would like to thank Alaska Airlines for its generous support of our work to free Kāneʻohe Bay from the chokehold of invasive algae,” said Suzanne Case, the Conservancy’s Hawaiʻi executive director, in a press release. “They have an exemplary record as good stewards of the environment.”

Downloading the Alaska app (iPhone and Android) will also help the environment by encouraging passengers to use mobile boarding passes rather than paper, according to the airline’s press release. Last week the carrier also became the first airline to sign an agreement with Hawaii BioEnergy LLC to purchase sustainable biofuel for its Hawaiʻi flights.

“We understand the contribution Hawaiʻi’s environment makes to its economy and quality of life,” said Brad Tilden, president and CEO of Alaska Airlines, in the press statement. “That’s why we are proud to partner with The Nature Conservancy. Their work to restore Kāneʻohe Bay and protect the state’s environment benefits future generations of residents and visitors alike.”

— Jeanne Cooper

The underwater vacuum known as a ‘super sucker’ is helping restore reefs in Kāneʻohe Bay. (Photo: Nature Conservancy)